Method of and apparatus for reversing and controlling regenerative furnaces



METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR REVERSING AND CONTROLLING REGENERATIVE FURNACES Filed April 15, 1922 M r////////m w 5 6 w. .wZ// L 8 M 5 Z L v if V WI/44M w m a J e F a? Nil/air! ,fiW

Patented Aug. 7, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE H. ISLEY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO MORGAN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

METHOD OF AND Al-PARATUS FOR REVERSING AND CONTROLLING REGENEBATIVE FURNACES.

Application filed April 1.8, 1922. Seriall No. 552,304.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. limit, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and Counnonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in a Method of and Apparatus for Reversing and Controlling Regenerative Furnaces, of which the following, together with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

The present invention relates to the reversal and control of furnaces of the regenerative type, and provides for changing, at intervals, the direction of travel of the hot gases through the furnace, in order (1) to prevent overheating of the furnace passages and fiues, and (2) to raise the temperature, prior to combustion of the entering gases, either air, or fuel, or both.

The invention contemplates radical departures from previous and present practices, in respect of the extreme simplicity of the reversing instrumentalit'ies, and the absence therefrom of the usual dampers and valves, in addition to which is made possible the operation of the furnace, at the highest degree of efficiency, without the need either for the usual stack or the usual complicated tiO system of fines. Other and further advantages of the invention will be made apparent as the following description proceeds, reference being had to the accompanying drawin s, wherein Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of the invention as applied to a conventional type of regenerative furnace.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the apparatus, illustrating the principles of the invention, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail View, partly in section, of one form of apparatus that may be employed for procuring the furnace draft.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the difi'erent figures.

As shown in Fig. 1, the invention is applicable, in general, to any type of regenerative furnace, irrespective of the fuel used therein. In connection with the use of oil, coke oven gas, tar, powdered coal, and the like, as fuel, involving the employment of suitable burners therefor, at each end of the furnace, as shown in broken lines 1, 1, the invention is applicable to the regenerative heatngofthe air, for supporting combustion of such fuel, said air being admitted alternately to the furnace by way of suitable regenerator passages 2 and 2. In connection with the use of producer gas as fuel, the invent on is applicable to the regenerative heat-mg not only of the air, but also of 'said gas, the latter being admitted alternately to the furnace by way of suitable regenerator passages 3 and 3.

In its simplest form, the invention contemplates the connection of the air regenerator passages 2, 2 to open-ended ducts 4, 4' respectively, each preferably in the form of a Venturi tube and equipped at or near its throat portion with a suitable drafting or blowing device, such as the fan 5, Fig. 3. The two fans 5, 5 are driven by reversible motors 6, 6 respectively, and in connection with the passage of gases through the furnace from left to right, as shown in Fig. 1, (the right hand burner 1' being retracted and inoperative), the motor 6 is caused to drive the fan 5 in such a direction as to draw in air through the upper open end of duct 4, forcing it through passage 2 into the left hand end of the furnace, while the motor 6 is caused to drive the fan 5 in the opposite direction, so as toidraw the burned waste gas from the right hand end of the furnace into the duct, 4', expelling same from the upper open end of said duct. Assuming the use of a form of fuel whose admission to the furnace is by the use, alternately, of

the burners 1, 1, the above described apparatus is all that is requisite for the reversal, when desired, of the furnace, it being understood that the exit of combustion prod-' ucts is by the way of the passage 2 or the passage 2, as the case may be,the' as sages 3, 3 and also the passages 7 an 7',

' hereinafter referred to, being either blanked off or nonexistent.

The reversal of the furnace, under the conditions assumed, is effected by simply changing the direction of gaseous flow through the ducts 4, 4', i. e., by reversing the motors 6 and 6, and by causing the fuel supply to be furnished by burner 1, instead of burner 1. This causes the cool entering air to be regeneratively heated in the passage 2, while the products of combustion draw out all gaseous products through the pass out through the passage 2, and impart -their heat to same, preparatory to the subsequent introduction of air through said passage at the next reversal of the furnace.

It is to be noted that the apparatus affords positive control over both ingoing and outgoing gases, owing to the fact that the mechanical drafting devices are susceptible.

of any manipulation or variation that may be desired. In other words, th e separate and independent control and operation of the two reversible motors 6 and 6 gives to the apparatus, wholly apart from the use of any dampers or valves, thewidest possible 16 latitude and flexibility inmeeting all the various conditions of furnace operation. For instance, under normal conditlonsof operation, the blower on the outgoing side of the furnace must be able to handle a greater volume of gases than the blower on the ingoing side, due to the increase of volume under hightemper'ature; thisis madepossible, by the independent control of the assistance in drafting the furnace; at such' i motors, which permits" one to be operated at a higher speed than the other.' "Again, the-atmospheric conditions may at times be such as to require very little mechanical times,either" one or both of the blowers may I i Or, if desired, by slowing down the motor be slowed down, or inoperative.

6 or 6" on-the outgoing-side of the furnace, the rate of discharge ofburned gases may 'be'so retarded as, to 'cause said gases to leave [substantially all of their heat in the walls of 'th6 re'generat'or passage 2 or 2; and in the if same' way, on the ingoing side, the entering j'air ,may'be caused to absorb, in varying quantities andat various rates, the heat of the passage walls. If it be desired to cool the re enerator passa 'e's for repairs or 1 otherwlse, this can be one in one-half the time ordinarily required, simply by operating both blowers f5 .and 5 to force in air through each duct t and thus holding the heat' in the furnace while repairs are being made. To cool the. furnace proper for purposes of repair, both blowers 5 and 5 are operated in the discharging direction, to

' passages 2 and 2 ,thepresent invention permits of'this coolingin half the time required when the usual types of'reversing apparatus are-employed; I

The same advantages are obtainable when producer gas or the like is used as. a fuel'in the furnace,- being admitted alternately at either end, bythe passages 3, 3. The conmay be re'nd-ered whollyor sources of producer gas supply, not

and 8, has associated therewith a reversing device, consisting in part of a shiftable hood 9, adapted in one position to span and connect the terminals of lines 3 and 8 (or 3 "and 8'), and in the other position, to span and connect the terminals of fines 3 and 7 (or 3 and 7). The terminals of flues 7, 8,

7, 8 are equipped with pivoted gravity closing covers 10, 10, 0f the general form and mode of operation described and claimed in my United States Letters Patent N 0. 1,408,946; these covers 10, which are adapted to cooperate with the water in pans 11 to 4 seal their respective terminals, are provided .withprojecting ears or lugs 12, for engage 'Inent by the edge or skirt of the associated hood -9, whereby movement into open position is automatically effected when said hood ismoved to cover, inclose and seal the cover- .equipped flue. Reversing apparatus of this construction, except as combined with the novel arrangement of parts herein claimed,

forms no part of the present invention, be- V ing fully described and claimed in theaforesaid Letters Patent; it is to be understood that any other suitable type of apparatus for reversing the gas supply may be used,

In the position of the parts shown in Figs.

1 and 2, with the left hand hood 9 at its extreme left hand position, the entrance of gas to the furnace is by way of passages 8 and 3, the hood 9 holding the closure of flue terminal 8 in open position, as shown, and the connection 7 being blanked off by its cover 10. The introduction of air to the left hand side of the furnace takes place in the manner previously described. At the right hand side of the furnace, the hood 9, in its extreme right hand position connects the flues 3 and 7 the gas supply terminal 8 being blanked off by its cover 10, and the products of combustion discharging throu h the passages 2 and 3 being drawn into the duct 4', as shown. For effecting the reversal of the furnace, the motors 6 and 6 are reversed, and also the hoods 9, 9 are shifted over to the right, thereby causing air and gas to enter at the right hand side, and products of combustion to leave at the left hand side, the latter being drawn out through the duct 4. In this position of the parts, the right hand flue terminal 7 is blanked off, as is also the left hand gas supply terminal 8, by the associated gravity vclosing covers 10, 10.

I claim,

1. Reversing mechanism for a regenerative furnace, comprising blowing devices associated respectively with regenerator passages at opposite ends of said furnace, and means for independently reversing and for independently controlling the speed of each of said blowing devices.

2. In a regenerative furnace, a blowing device associated with each regenerator passage, and means selectively operable on said devices for causing them either to exhaust gases from both ends of the furnace simultaneously, or to supply air to both of said ends simultaneously.

3. In a regenerative furnace, a blowing device associated with each regenerator passage, and means selectively operable on said devices for causing them either to exhaust gases from both ends of the furnace simultaneously, or to supply air to one end while exhausting gases from the other end.

4. In a regenerative furnace, a blowing device associated with each regenerator passage, and means selectively operable on said devices for causing them to supply air to both ends of the furnace simultaneously, or to supply air to one end while exhausting gases from the other end.

5. Reversing apparatus for a gas fired regenerative furnace, comprising a gas control device for each gas regenerator, in combination with a reversible blowing device associated with each gas control devices and operable selectively to supply air to the furnace, or to exhaust products of combustion leaving the furnace by way of the gas regenerator of its associated gas controlled devices.

6. Reversing apparatus for a gas fired regenerative furnace, comprising a gas control device and a blowing device associated with each set of gas and air regenerator passages, each blowing device being operable to supply air to the furnace independently of the gas supplied by its associated gas control device.

7. Reversing apparatus for a gas tired rcgenerative furnace, comprising a gas control device and a blowing device associated with each set of gas and air regcncrator passages, each blowing device being operable to exhaust products of combustion leaving said furnace by way of its associated air regenerator passage and by way of its associated gas control device.

8. Reversing mechanism for a regenerative furnace, comprising blowing devices associatcd, respectively, with regenerator passages at opposite ends of said furnace. and means for independently reversing each blowing device and for independently controlling the volume of gaseous flow produced thereby.

Dated this 10th day of April. 1922.

GEORGE H. ISLEY. 

